May 07, 2009

Today's Collaborations:

Gilded Age and Shipley & Halmos Quietly Premiere At UNIQLO

We don't know if it's Designer Collaboration fatigue, lack of promotion, or just the continuing gloomy weather, but the second half of UNIQLO's Designers Invitation Project for this year made a very low-key début today at UNIQLO this morning. Perhaps it's because all the designers chosen this year have a more classic aesthetic, but ultimately, we're pretty sure the collections will wind up doing just fine. We heard actual squeals coming from the dressing room (really, we're not kidding) while one eager customer tried on a bunch of items from Shipley & Halmos' women's collection (pictured at right) during the press preview. Their line was light, young and summery with loose crepe-de-chine dresses and even a little satin shorts romper for the daring.Gilded Age's men's capsule is probably the most accessible collaboration the Japanese chain has done yet, with some easy khaki's and plaid shorts and ever popular thermal henley tees. UNIQLO continues to do an excellent job of translating the more expensive brands' details at a very affordable price point, so Gilded Age's washed oxford shirts still have contrasting, trapunto stitched cuff linings, and the terry polo we walked away with has the brand's flat metal buttons and a retro styled printed label. At $19.50, it is still quite the bargain especially compared to the often jaw dropping prices of the brand's regular line.As for the rest of the store, there's still plenty else to love including even more printed t-shirts than last week and lots of colored jeans for both genders at the throwaway prices most of us were expecting to see from Topshop. Look for a bigger crowd when the sun comes out this weekend.Designers Invitation Project at UNIQLO, 546 Broadway between Prince & Spring Streets, SoHo